Arthur Morgan to be sentenced for his daughter's murder

Arthur E. Morgan III winks at the cameras as he is lead off to jail after being convicted of the murder of his daughter, Tierra Morgan-Glover, 2, in Superior Court in Freehold on April 3.
(Photo:
Tom Spader/Staff Photographer
)

Morgan, 29, whose last known address was in Eatontown, is to appear before Superior Court Judge Anthony J. Mellaci at 10 a.m. to be sentenced for his daughter's murder and other crimes related to the events of Nov. 21, 2011, when the toddler was strapped in a weighted car seat and tossed into a stream to die. The sentencing can be viewed live at www.app.com.

Morgan stood trial before Mellaci earlier this year and was convicted last month by a Monmouth County jury of Tierra's intentional murder. He also was convicted of child endangerment and interfering with the baby's custody for failing to return her home to

Lakehurst on the day she was killed.

Because the victim of the murder was a child, Morgan faces life in prison without the possibility of parole. Before New Jersey abolished the death penalty in 2007, that factor could have qualified Morgan for execution.

After the jury foreman announced the verdict on April 3, Morgan flashed a smile and winked at prosecutors before being led out of the courtroom in handcuffs and one of the typically flashy suits he wore to court each day.

During the trial, his attorneys, Deputy Public Defender Jeffrey Coghlan and Deputy Assistant Public Defender Ryan Moriarty, unsuccessfully tried to convince the jury that Morgan was distraught over how Tierra's mother was raising the child and that he simply placed Tierra in a stream in Shark River Park in Wall to let God decide her fate.

In arguing that Morgan should be convicted of the lesser crime of manslaughter rather than murder, the defense attorneys suggested Morgan wasn't thinking clearly because he was beleaguered by his own homelessness, lack of sleep and loss of a job.

But First Assistant Prosecutor Marc LeMieux and Assistant Prosecutor Jordan Williams argued that Morgan planned the crime, pawning items beforehand and making arrangements to escape to California. They portrayed Morgan as a narcissistic, manipulative and controlling man who killed his daughter to get back at her mother, Imani Benton, for breaking off an engagement.

In stark contrast to the defense attorneys' portrayal of Morgan as a man worried about his baby, the prosecutors pointed out that Morgan, despite being homeless, bought expensive Prada and Gucci clothing and accessories for himself while living in his 1995 Cadillac Deville rather than providing a home for the daughter he claimed to have so much concern for.

Morgan picked up Tierra from her mother on the afternoon of Nov. 21, 2011, saying he was going to take the girl to see "Happy Feet II," a film about dancing penguins. Instead, he brought her to Shark River Park, strapped her into her car seat, tethered a metal car jack to the seat and tossed the contraption from a bridge about 17 feet below into the stream.

He later would tell authorities that Tierra was still crying when he turned and walked away, leaving her in the stream to die.

Before Morgan is sentenced, Benton will have the opportunity to speak to the judge about the impact of Tierra's murder. Morgan also will be allowed to address the judge before he learns his sentence.